Faculty Senate

Minutes - December 2, 2019 - 3:05pm

CCSU FACULTY SENATE MEETING

Present:

Ex-Officio: Dauwalder, D.; Farhat, J.; Kim, J; Kostelis, K.; Robinson, C.; Toro, Z.; Wolff, R.

 

Parliamentarian: Dimmick, C.

President of the Senate: Jackson, M.

Guests:

1. Minutes

a. Minutes of November 25, 2019

2. Announcements:

a. AAUP President (L. Williams)

b. SUOAF-AFSCME President (J. Gamache for L. Bigelow)

c. SGA (R. Tahir)

d. FAC to the Board of Regents (S. Adair)

e. President of the Senate (M. Jackson)

 

3. Committee Reports

a. Graduate Studies Committee (E. Leonidas)

  • Approved unanimously

b. Committee on Academic Advising

  • Report of the Task Force on Dual Advising
  • The Committee on Academic Advising of the Faculty Senate has reviewed the Dual Advising Model Report and has identified several areas of concerns as well as some suggestions to improve the proposed model. 
    • A concern about the cost/benefit analysis for the plan. Would the cost to hire more advisors truly be offset by an increase in retention? Does the data support that advising is the cause of the drop in retention at CCSU? The suggestion of a pilot program was raised. 
    • A concern about increased caseloads for professional advisors before additional resources are hired. We want to ensure that the quality of advising does not decrease as the professional advisors caseloads increase. The number of advisors proposed in the Dual Advising Plan appears to be insufficient to maintain a high quality of advisingonce caseloads begin to increase. 
    • A need to encourage greater recognition for faculty service. This would require the Academic Deans and Provost to recognize faculty for their commitment to advising. 
      • Faculty and university level awards for advising.
      • An investment in professional development for faculty advisors.
      • Funds for activities hosted by faculty advisors.
    • A possible advising award for professional advisors. 
    • A consideration of a model that allows a specific group of students (e.g. seniors with a high GPA) to not have to see their primary advisor for their pin number. These students could sign a contract and meet specific requirements in order to have the pin requirement waived. This may remove barriers for students and help in registration. It also may free up faculty advisors to spend their time speaking with the student about other issues such as career development, research etc.
  • President Toro spoke of the financial benefits to the university that would result from increased retention, and said that advising has been identified as a reason for leaving CCSU in a survey of why students leave. Students say that it is sometimes hard to get a PIN, that they are sometimes enrolled in classes not helpful towards completion of their degree, and that it is difficult to find a faculty advisor in the summer. We have to look at what our competitors are doing.
  • Senator Austad said that different students have different advising needs, and is concerned about a proposal that seems to lump all students together.
  • Senator Arena said that some students come for advising, are told which classes they should take, get their PIN, and take what they want regardless of what they were told in their advising session. Would a dual advising model remedy that problem?
  • Senator Sikorski is excited that the importance of advising is being recognized.
  • Senator Best is wondering what makes other schools' advising more successful than ours.
  • Senator Blitz is concerned about the rigidity of the proposal (fewer than 60 credits = professional advisor, no exceptions?) He also wonders how personalized academic maps or plans would be implemented (especially in large departments), and strongly disagrees that students should see a professional advisor to change their major. He also wonders where students will get advising for their minor.
  • Senator Langevin said that the Department of Nursing would welcome more advising help, and would be interested in being one of the pilot departments.
  • Some faculty are wondering if the proposed advising model increase students' "sense of belonging", which has been identified as something that our students need.
  • Some faculty are wondering if the proposal has been vetted by UPBC (answer: No, but the strategic plan has been discussed by UPBC).
  • Some faculty are concerned that some programs may require specific knowledge from an expert in the discipline for effective advising.


4. New Business

a. Approval of undergraduate and graduate candidates for graduation

5. Adjournment